Transparent sea creature invented our blood cells
Scientists from Stanford University in the USA have been scraping flower-like ‘stains’ from the floating docks of Monterey, California. Though the diameters of these colourful ‘rosettes’ are easy to miss, only a centimetre or less across, they have proven to hold important answers regarding the origins of blood in large vertebrates such as ourselves. The flowery ‘stains’ consist of small sea invertebrates which have blood-producing systems containing surprisingly similar elements to our own. They could provide us with new knowledge of our own immune systems, and even assist in cancer control.
Transparency helps scientists
The creature is Botryllus schlosseri, and it belongs to the group of tunicates, creatures that are surrounded by a transparent sac.
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